Frequently asked questions

Vaccines can be given by injection, or by taking an oral vaccine dose. They help your child’s immune system learn how to protect the body from dangerous diseases before they catch them, by mimicking an infection and teaching the body to create disease fighting antibodies.

Antibodies jump into action to keep your child safe from becoming seriously unwell by fighting disease. Vaccines train your child’s immune system, so that if they do pick up a nasty virus, their defences are strong and ready to protect your child from becoming seriously unwell.

Some vaccines are given as a single dose and provide protection for the rest of your child’s life. Other vaccines may require you to have booster jabs to protect them over time.

Staying up to date with the schedule of routine childhood vaccinations will help give your child the best protection against deadly diseases.

Your child’s safety and wellbeing are extremely important to us in the NHS.

Vaccination is the safest, most effective way of protecting your child from serious illness.

Vaccines undergo intensive safety checks and are thoroughly tested before they are given to the population. This helps to make sure there is no harm to you or your child because of the vaccine. The safety measures don’t end there, vaccines are then carefully monitored, and any rare side effects are reported.

All over the world, vaccinations have helped keep children safe from the risks of deadly diseases. They have also helped so many children avoid needing hospital treatment and have saved countless lives.

Vaccines can sometimes be given in a combined way, with more than one vaccine provided at the same time. An example of this is the 6-in-1 vaccine that is given to babies.

Parents and carers may worry that a small child’s immune system might be overwhelmed by having more than one vaccine at the same time. Combined vaccines are completely safe for your child and even a tiny baby’s immune system can easily cope with having multiple vaccines at once.

It’s best for your child to have their vaccines when they are invited. If your child doesn’t receive their vaccines on time, it can mean they won’t have the protection they need from serious diseases. Speak with your GP if you think you child has missed their vaccines.

Like many medicines we take to help us to get better from illness, your child may experience some mild side effects to vaccinations, but these won’t last long.

Common mild side effects may include:

• Redness or soreness in the area where the vaccine injection has been given
• A high temperature
• Feeling a little unwell, being sick or having a lack of appetite
• Feeling upset, increased irritability or crying

Some children won’t experience any symptoms at all.

It’s important to keep in mind that the risk of your child becoming seriously unwell from dangerous disease is far greater than the risk of minor side effects from vaccinations and the mild side effects will only last for a few days.

If you are worried about possible side effects from vaccination, speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor who will be able to help you.

Some vaccines do contain a small amount of pork gelatine, to help make sure the vaccine is kept safe and remains effective during storage.

Vaccines that contain a small amount of pork gelatine include the MMR vaccine and the children’s flu vaccine (nasal spray). But there are safe alternatives available for both of these vaccines which do not contain pork gelatine.

If you have any concerns about the ingredients in your child’s vaccination, or would like to discuss alternatives, please speak with your GP about how to access them.

Needle phobia is
very common and affects at least 1 in 10 people.

A fear of needles and injections often, but not always, results from bad memories of needles earlier in life.

Read our top tips page to help make your child's vaccine appointment as stress free as possible. 

All NHS routine childhood vaccinations are completely free. You just need to be registered with a GP to be invited for vaccinations.

If you are not registered with a GP, you can find a GP practice near you and register on the NHS website.

Anyone in England can register with a GP surgery, it’s free to register. You do not need any proof of address or immigration status, ID or an NHS number.

It’s important that vaccines are given to children on time as part of the childhood routine immunisation schedule when they are invited for their vaccines, as this gives your child the best protection against deadly diseases.

In the UK, the child health record (red book) is given to parents or carers when a baby is born. The red book records information about your child’s health and development. It also records details about their vaccinations. You can check the red book to make sure your child is up to date with their vaccines.

You can also use our easy-to-use childhood vaccination schedule which sets out the age your child should be when they have certain vaccines, what diseases the vaccines protect your child from and how many doses they will need.

If you are unsure about when your child should have their vaccinations or have any questions, please speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor.

If you are worried your child has missed one of their vaccines, there is still time to catch up. You can contact your GP who will be able to help you.

Making sure your child receives all their vaccines on time will help keep them protected from serious illness.

If you have any questions about vaccinations, you can speak to your GP, midwife or your health visitor who will be able to talk through any concerns or queries so that you can make the right decision for you and your family.

There can be lots of confusing or misleading information that can spread about vaccinations, so it’s important that you speak with your GP if you need any support and only get information from trusted sources.

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) virus is not offered to children as part of their routine childhood vaccinations. 

Pregnant women over 28 weeks will be offered the RSV vaccine to help protect their baby from RSV. The vaccine helps pregnant women to build protection against RSV which helps keep their baby safe in the early months of their life and when they are most vulnerable to RSV.

Older children can get RSV but infections tend to be more serious in very young babies (within the early months of their life), which is why it is important to have the vaccine when pregnant.

The flu vaccine is offered yearly to children in the autumn, before flu begins to spread. The vaccine is updated each year, so it’s important that your child has their flu vaccine when offered to stay protected.

Most children can receive their flu vaccine by a simple and painless nasal spray.

If your child is aged 2-3, your GP will invite them to have their vaccine. If your child is aged 4-15 (school years reception to 11), they will be offered their vaccine by a team of trained vaccinators at their school.

 Please contact your GP or school vaccinations team if you have any questions.

Older children can get RSV but infections tend to be more serious in very young babies (within the early months of their life), which is why it is important to have the vaccine when pregnant.